Not all those who wander are lost.

Category Archives: SL Tourism

Some Realms are Magical. Eclecticais one of those Realms. I first visited Eclectica years and years ago. I think Davey had been through it on his travels, and he recommended that I visit there.

Of course, Realms change. They evolve, in the same way as language evolves, over time. Yesterday, I was feeling nostalgic and decided I’d visit there again.

Eclectica, Reborn

I found that Eclectica has been reborn, newly formed into something very different from, but just as wonderful as its previous incarnation. I took a lot of photographs while I was there (yes, even some selfies!), and all I can say to you is that if you get a chance, put Eclectica on your bucket list of places to visit.

There is a magical forest.

Eclectica is now a series of islands and peninsulas, tied together by an extraordinary, magical forest. And every little grove has a delightful secret waiting to be discovered.

Am I a badass, or are we all going to die?

Am I a badass here, or are we all going to die? And just what is the drag coefficient on these feathery wings?

Really, I feel that I should just let the photographs speak for themselves.

Covered bridge, with roses

I could not resist

Beyond the bridge, a private dancing spot

And, of course… I couldn’t resist.

The ambiance was inspiring.

In the midst of the forest, a Romani vardo

And no question at all about how someone got here, at least.

Tents and lights

I have met a rainbow alpaca; my life is now complete!

Beautiful treescapes

Tucked-away treasures

So many things to see

An intriguing beach

Delightful details

Solitary dwellings

Intriguing artwork

A well of flowers

A view through Queen Anne’s Lace

Magical

This isn’t a fashion-y post, so I’m not going to write the usual long list of credits here. If you’re curious about anything Gwyneth is wearing here, feel free to IM me. If your question is about Eclectica, Maddy is your source!

If you have the chance, Eclectica is a must-see. It opens later today, 31 August, and it’s really worth spending a good, long time there. There is a donation kiosk just outside the landing point: don’t forget to show Maddy a little Linden Love before you leave!

The sim, which is currently in the SL Destinations Guide, is a whimsical smorgasbord of several floating islands depicting various bits and pieces of fairy tales.

Davey, of course, went straight for the Elven Pavilion.

Davey, of course, went straight for the Elven Pavilion, to pay his respects to the goddess and to have a photo snapped with her earthly depiction.

We then spent some time just roaming around the sim. There’s a lot to see, and no way to capture all of it in a series of photographs.

I was reminded of all the time I spent in 2007 searching out SL Stonehenges.

I was reminded of all the time I spent in 2007 searching out SL Stonehenges. That entry is somewhere on LiveJournal, but suffice it to say I used to love finding stone circles in odd places (people’s living rooms, pubs, the backs of trucks….). It was a fun hobby, particularly back when wearing the wrong pair of shoes could result in, um. Teleportation fail ring a bell, anyone?

Above this particular stone circle, two dragons are locked in eternal battle.

Above this particular stone circle, two dragons are locked in eternal battle. In the distance, you can see the topmost point of the Elven Pavilion. Davey thought we should at least try to scry out who would be the winner, but I, because I may be slightly more versed in Arthurian myth than he is, told him we should let it go and move on to explore other parts of the sim.

Selfie with the Buddha?

Selfie with the Buddha? …Yeah. We arrived at an Asian corner of the sim, and Davey insisted on having his photograph taken with this statue of the Buddha. Cheesy grin, “come at me bro” pose, and all. Sometimes I don’t know what I’ll do with him: he manages to be charming throughout these juvenile flights of fancy, so it’s impossible to be angry with him, but still. I’m not sure the Buddha was all that impressed, though bless him, Davey did not try to rub the statue’s belly for luck on the way out.

Eventually, we came upon Davey’s own people.

Eventually, we came upon Davey’s own people, in the form of a Gypsy Fortuneteller. Davey was properly respectful and asked me to hang back while he talked to the woman. Later, he explained that while business was slow for her, he didn’t want to alarm her: it isn’t every day that the presumptive King of the Gypsies, albeit from another Realm, shows up at your fortunetelling tent, you know?

“Davey, what are you doing with that spyglass?” I asked.

“Davey, what are you doing with that spyglass?” I asked. “You aren’t even holding it right.”

He turned to me with an elongated sigh. “There are beautiful women around here,” he said. “I just know it.”

“I am not spending the day as your wing man,” I said.

“I don’t need a wing man,” he replied.

OK, that may be true, but I didn’t want him to start wooing women and getting the whole sim in an uproar. “Why don’t we go and look at the unicorns?” I suggested.

“Look at this tiny house!” Davey shouted.

“Look at this tiny house!” Davey shouted. “Even I’m too tall for it!”

I just shook my head. At least he wasn’t horndogging.

“You should call this one, ‘Even Unicorns Love Me!'” Davey suggested.

“You should call this one, Even Unicorns Love Me!” Davey suggested.

“Do you have to plaster on that cheesy grin every time I take your photograph?”

“Yep. Makes me look seductively sinister.”

I may have actually face-palmed.

Airship ride

But all Davey’s bravado and silliness were knocked aside when we discovered the airship. He was silent and fascinated. And probably trying to read over this poor guy’s shoulder, but that’s a skill you learn when you spend a lot of time realm-hopping. It’s a good way to figure out where (and when!) you are.

We loved our visit to Once Upon a Fairytale.

We loved our visit to Once Upon a Fairy Tale. It’s a great destination, and a great way to spend some time in Second Life. Of course, if you want the outfit Davey’s wearing, you’re going to have to go to We

When you arrive at Pandora Resort, the mist (or is that smoke?) cloaks you like a blanket. Everything is so obscured.

Group Gift from 7 Deadly s{K}ins!

The skin Gwyneth’s wearing is the January Group Gift from 7 Deadly s{K}ins. There is a price to join the group (L$225), but this skin comes with a ton of appliers, including Omega head appliers, so you can apply it to any head that takes Omega. This is the Catwa Catya Bento mesh head, and I think it looks beautiful. This hair is new from No Match; it’ll be at Hairology, which opens on the 10th of January. The style is called No Fiction.

Taking a break from working on the sim, which makes poor Gwyneth very tired, was in the cards today, and stepping into the nostalgic world of Pandora Resort was just the ticket.

Town Square

Once you get into the town proper, the mist still hangs over, so thick it obscures pretty much everything. It’s sometimes hard to tell the birds wheeling round the central fountain from the falling snowflakes, and the buildings and lamps have an extra glow to them that adds to the ambiance.

A moment of contemplation

I guess one of the things I love about visiting great sims in Second Life is just experiencing the multitude of fascinating ideas that can be brought to life in our big pixel world. From untouched wilderness to avant-garde art pieces, we’ve got it all. I’m often amazed by the sheer amount of work and care that goes in to all the beautiful builds I visit. SL tourism has been a hobby of mine since way back in 2007 or so when Avalon and I used to go around in search of various Stonehenges in all sizes and levels of repair. Perhaps I’ll revisit that one day and do a tour of prominent Second Life Stonehenges sometime. Gwyneth does love standing stones, after all!

Further in to the sim, shops and a delivery tricycle!

Further in to the sim, there are parks, residential areas, a Christmas tree lot, and some beautiful spaces that can be hired out for weddings and other functions. While there were a few informational averts up in the train station area, the sim is otherwise completely bereft of anything commercial, aside from small signs around the for-hire areas. If you haven’t been to Pandora Resort, it’s worth a visit. It’s on the SL Destination Guide at the moment, under Editor’s Picks.

In the end, I wished I could have stayed longer. There was a lot to see, and I love a foggy, misty landscape. But I had to spend much of the day in Real Life, so Gwyneth and I headed back to the affectionately named Ook Office in Awenia, and that was that. I have some more places I want to show you around soonish, though, and I know Gwyneth will appreciate any breaks I give her from ordering people around on the sim platform in Awenia.